As one of the nation's top five pediatric research centers, Seattle Children's Research Institute is dedicated to making breakthrough discoveries that help prevent, treat and eliminate childhood disease.
A History of Groundbreaking Discoveries
Our researchers have pioneered groundbreaking cystic fibrosis treatments and cutting-edge cancer therapies that help a child's immune system defeat cancer, and made other major contributions to pediatric medicine. Now, with more than 330,000 square feet of clinical and laboratory space, a workforce of over 1,500 people and nearly $99 million in total extramural funding for the 2015 fiscal year, we are working toward the next wave of lifesaving discoveries. To accelerate our progress, the research institute is organized into eight centers, each one specializing in areas like cancer immunotherapy, neuroscience and child health and behavior. The centers are supported by faculty from the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, the nation's first pediatric bioethics center.
Planning for a Bright Future
Though we are one of the leading research institutes in the nation, we are not content to rest on our laurels. Our strategic plans serve as both a guidepost and inspiration to help us achieve our ambitious and important goals.
We are also using the principles of continuous performance improvement (CPI) to reduce the administrative burden of our research teams so they can expedite their work to develop lifesaving cures, accelerate clinical research and address issues affecting the health of children and families around the world. Dr. Jim Hendricks, president of Seattle Children’s Research Institute, discusses this work in a video.
Learn more about how we are working to find cures and educate clinicians and researchers.
Collaborating with World-Renowned Partners
Researchers in the centers work in close collaboration with one another, their colleagues at partner institutions including the University of Washington and Fred Hutch and our healthcare providers at Seattle Children's Hospital, one of U.S. News & World Report's top children's hospitals. This collaboration is one of our key strengths, allowing our faculty to draw on a variety of disciplines and techniques as they pursue solutions to some of medicine's most complex problems.
Turning Discoveries into Lifesaving Therapies
We understand that finding a potential cure in a lab isn't enough. We are dedicated to recruiting and retaining talented researchers – and creating the facilities and programs they need to transform important findings into viable, real-world therapies.
Our state-of-the-art facilities include 330,000 square feet of lab, clinical research and office space. Our key infrastructure includes flow cytometry labs, a 5,000-square-foot pediatric clinical research center and a multimillion-dollar cell processing facility that places us among the few pediatric facilities that meet strict FDA requirements for manufacturing therapies.
In 2014 we created the Office of Science–Industry Partnerships to facilitate collaborations with external organizations.
Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research
Director: Michael Jensen, MD
Researchers develop innovative treatments that maximize the well-being of children with cancer and the quality of life for survivors of childhood cancer. Learn more.
Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development
Director: Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH
Researchers work collaboratively to address obesity, adolescent depression, the impact of media and other major issues affecting children. Learn more.
Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Director: Bonnie W. Ramsey, MD
Clinical and translational research takes discoveries made in the laboratory and translates them into therapies that doctors and patients can use in daily life. Learn more.
Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Director: David Beier, MD, PhD
Researchers work to restore children's health after injury through repair, regeneration or replacement of tissues, cells and organs. Learn more.
Center for Developmental Therapeutics
Interim Director: Phil Morgan, MD
Researchers identify and develop new drugs and treatments that will be safer and more effective for children. Learn more.
Center for Global Infectious Disease Research
Co-Directors: Lisa M. Frenkel, MD, and Timothy M. Rose, PhD
Researchers work to understand, prevent and treat infectious disease affecting people across the globe from neonatal to adult stages of life. Learn more.
Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies
Director: David J. Rawlings, MD
Through scientific discovery and innovation, researchers work to harness the power of the immune system to prevent, treat or cure life-threatening childhood diseases. Learn more.
Center for Integrative Brain Research
Director: Jan (Nino) Ramirez, PhD
Researchers are developing new ways to prevent, treat and potentially cure pediatric neurological disorders. Learn more.